Objective: The present study investigated, for the first time, event- and time-based prospective memory (PM) in the same sample of adults with ADHD within one paradigm using parallel task constraints. Method: A total of 25 individuals with ADHD and 25 matched neurotypical controls completed a computerized version of the Dresden Breakfast Task, which required participants to prepare breakfast following a set of rules and time restrictions. Results: Although groups did not differ in event-based PM, results demonstrated a large-sized impairment in individuals with ADHD in time-based PM. Conclusion: Findings suggest a task-specific impairment in PM functioning and are discussed in an executive control framework of neurocognitive functioning in ADHD. (J. of Att. Dis. 2014; 18(7) 617-624)

Minne, stress och sömn är tre faktorer som påverkar en individs välbefinnande, hälsa och prestation. Sömn- och stressproblematik har under de senaste åren ökat såväl hos vuxna som hos universitetsstudenter. Sömnbesvär och stress är en negativ bidragande faktor till studenters studieresultat. Retrospektiva minnen (RM) är en typ av bakåtriktade minnen medan prospektiva minnen (PM) är en typ av framåtriktade minnen. Det finns tidigare forskning som visar att vuxna tenderar att ha större minnesproblem kopplat till PM än till RM. En anledning till detta kan vara att de använder sig av olika perceptuella och kognitiva processer. Samtidigt finns det forskning som visar att stress påverkar både RM och PM negativt. Studier har visat att sömnproblem har ökat hos studenter under de senaste åren. Studenter utsätts för höga krav i form av föreläsningar, lektioner och examinationer under deras studietid som i sin tur kan leda till ökad stress. Ökad stress kan därmed leda till ökade sömnsvårigheter och försämrade resultat vid minnestester. Föreliggande studie hade som syfte att undersöka sambandet mellan prospektivt minne, retrospektivt minne, stress och sömn hos 90  universitetsstudenter. Den ämnade också undersöka om det fanns några skillnader mellan RM och PM och om dessa skillnader kunde bero på stress och sömn. Samtliga faktorer i studien var baserade på självskattade enkätsvar. Det fanns ett medelstark samband mellan stress och minnessvårigheter samt mellan sömnbesvär och stress. Studenterna upplevde sig ha något sämre PM än RM. Stress och sömn låg inte bakom skillnaden mellan PM och RM. / Memory, stress, and mind are three factors affecting an individual's well-being, health, and performance. In recent years, problems related to sleep and stress have increased both for adults and for university students. Problems related to sleep and stress are a negative contributing factor to a students' study results. Retrospective memories (RM) are a type of backward memories while prospective memories (PM) are a type of forward memories. There is previous research showing that adults tend to have greater memory problems linked to PM rather than to RM. One reason for this may be that they use different perceptual and cognitive processes. On the other hand, there is research showing that stress affects both RM and PM negatively. There are studies showing increased sleeping problems for students in recent years. Students are exposed to high demands because of lectures, lessons, and examinations during their studies, which in turn can lead to increased stress. Increased stress can thus lead to increased sleep difficulties and impaired results in memory tests. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between prospective memory, retrospective memory, stress, and sleep in 90 university students. It also aimed to investigate whether there were any differences between RM and PM and whether these differences could be due to stress and sleep. All factors in the study were based on self-reported questionnaire responses. There was a medium-strong relationship between stress and memory difficulties and between sleep problems and stress. The students felt that they had slightly worse PM than RM. Stress and sleep were not a reason behind the difference between PM and RM.

Personer med kognitiva nedsättningar tillhör en av de största grupperna av funktionsnedsatta personer. Premium Comai är ett hjälpmedel för att hjälpa personer med kognitiva nedsättningar att bli mer självständiga i deras vardag. Denna målgrupp har framförallt svårigheter med de exekutiva funktionerna så till exempel att minnas saker de ska genomföra eller att uppfatta hur lång tid aktiviteter tar. Denna studie undersöker hur användandet av en digital kalender som hjälpmedel för personer med kognitiva nedsättningar ser ut och hur användare av upplever hjälpmedlet, om de upplever att det hjälper dem planera sin tid och att komma ihåg. För att undersöka detta intervjuades användare av Premium Comai, där intervjutekniken var semistrukturerade intervjuer. Användare upplever att hjälpmedlet är enkelt att använda och att det hjälper dem planera sin tid. Premium Comai skapar trygghet. / People with cognitive impairments belong to one of the largest groups of disabled persons. Premium Comai is a tool to help people with cognitive impairments to become more independent in their daily lives. These peoples have particular difficulties with the executive functions such as remembering things or to perceive the time an activity will take. This study examines how the use of a digital calendar that is accessible for people with cognitive impairments, how users perceive the means, if they feel it helps them manage their time and to remember. To examine this, users of Premium Comai were interviewed, using semi-structured interviews. Users perceive that the device is easy to use and it helps them to plan their time. Premium Comai makes users feel safe.

In the present study, we used mouse tracking to investigate two processes underlying prospective memory (PM) retrieval: First, we aimed to explore to what extent spontaneous retrieval of already completed PM intentions is supported by reflexive-associative and discrepancy-plus-search processes. Second, we aimed to disentangle whether costs to an ongoing task during the pursuit of a PM intention are associated with presumably resource-demanding monitoring processes or with a presumably resource-sparing strategic delay of ongoing-task responses. Our third aim was to explore the interaction of processes underlying costs to the ongoing task and processes of spontaneous retrieval. Our analyses replicated response-time patterns from previous studies indicating aftereffects of completed intentions and costs to ongoing-task performance, as well as increased aftereffects while pursuing a PM intention. Notably, based on our mouse-tracking analyses, we argue that aftereffects of completed intentions are best explained by a reflexive initiation of an already completed intention. If the completed intention is not performed in its entirety (i.e., no commission error), the reflexive initiation of the completed intention is followed by a subsequent movement correction that most likely represents a time-consuming response-verification process. Regarding performance costs in the ongoing task, our analyses suggest that actively pursuing a PM intention most likely leads to a strategic delay of ongoing activities. Lastly, we found that pursuing a novel PM task after intention completion exacerbated orienting responses to all deviant stimuli, exacerbated the readiness to initiate the completed intention reflexively, and substantially prolonged the response-verification process following this reflexive intention retrieval.

La mémoire épisodique est la fonction neurocognitive humaine permettant de se souvenir des événements passés situés dans leur contexte spatio-temporel ainsi que de se rappeler d'exécuter des actions futures spécifiques et d'imaginer des événements futurs variés. Comme d'autres capacités complexes, son développement est lié à d'autres fonctions telles que les fonctions exécutives et la théorie de l'esprit. Elle peut être évaluée avec du matériel de laboratoire nécessitant une mémorisation de nouvelles informations et d'actions futures à réaliser plus tard (mémoires rétrospective et prospective, respectivement), ainsi que via des événements personnels (rappel du passé et imagination du futur ou mémoire autobiographique passée et future, respectivement). L'objectif de cette thèse était, d'une part, de comparer les aspects passé et futur de la mémoire épisodique dans une approche développementale de l'enfant d'âge scolaire au jeune adulte, tout en explorant les mécanismes sous-jacents. D'autre part, le but était également de comparer des tâches autobiographiques et des tâches de laboratoire plus écologiques en réalité virtuelle.Les résultats suggèrent un développement plus progressif de l'aspect futur de la mémoire épisodique (plus de différences chez les enfants), tandis que l'aspect passé semble être bien développé à l'adolescence. Concernant les mécanismes, les performances aux tâches autobiographique et en réalité virtuelle (corrélées entre elles) sont liées aux fonctions exécutives et aux capacités narratives ; de plus, les capacités de rappel lors du test de réalité virtuelle dépendent des fonctions exécutives, la mémoire autobiographique passée et future et la théorie de l'esprit (seulement pour le futur), tandis que les capacités de mémoire autobiographique dépendent de la mémoire du futur en réalité virtuelle en plus des fonctions exécutives et de l'âge.Ces données démontrent que malgré un développement plus progressif de l'aspect futur que passé de la mémoire épisodique, le fonctionnement mnésique dans des environnements virtuels est comparable à la mémoire au quotidien, compte tenu de leurs inter-corrélations et de leurs mécanismes au moins en partie communs. Par ailleurs, les tâches de réalité virtuelle peuvent trouver toute leur utilité dans l'évaluation des patients pédiatriques neurologiques dont les déficits mnésiques peuvent être plus ou moins subtils et se refléter plus aux contextes quotidiens qu'aux contextes des évaluations de type papier-crayon. / Episodic memory is the uniquely human neurocognitive function that enables us to recall past events situated in their spatio-temporal context and to remember to carry out specific future actions as well as imagine various personal future events. As all complex abilities, its functioning is linked to other cognitive capacities such as executive functions and theory of mind. It can be assessed with laboratory-based materials requiring the memorization of information and future actions to be recalled later (retrospective and prospective memory, respectively) and via personal events (recalling past ones and imagining future ones or past and future autobiographical memory, respectively). The aim of this thesis was, on the one hand, to compare both past and future aspects of episodic memory functioning in a wide developmental age span (from young schoolchildren to young adults), and to explore underlying developmental mechanisms. On the other hand, we also aimed to compare personal events¿ (autobiographical) tasks with more ecological laboratory tasks using virtual reality. Results suggest a more progressive development of the future aspect of episodic memory (more differences between children), whereas both retrospective and past autobiographical memory seem to be quite functional by adolescence. Regarding mechanisms, both autobiographical and virtual reality performance, in addition to correlating with each other, are linked to executive functions and narrative abilities; also, memory abilities assessed via virtual reality depend on executive functions, past and future autobiographical memory and (only future memory) on theory of mind performance, whereas autobiographical memory abilities depend on virtual reality-based future memory in addition to executive functions and age. Our data demonstrate that despite a more progressive development of the future aspect of episodic memory than of its past aspect, memory functioning in virtual environments is indeed comparable to daily life memory, as these abilities are strongly inter-linked and have at least partly common mechanisms. Also, virtual reality tasks can be used for memory assessments in pediatric neurological patients whose potential memory deficits can be more or less subtle and thus more detectable in daily life contexts as opposed to paper-and-pencil types of contexts.